Moving was the arrival of the three buses from Texas, which transported some 90 immigrants from Colombia and Venezuela to the Port Authority transportation terminal on Wednesday morning.
Humanitarian assistance volunteers as well as the team from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs welcomed the group with words of encouragement and enthusiasm.
“We received them with immediate attention, many of the people were hungry, thirsty, eight people needed medical attention, so we provided them with all these services from here and connected them with the other shelters and others with their family and friends in NY. And we are helping people who want to go to other destinations to reach those destinations,” said Manuel Castro, the Office’s commissioner.
The volunteers who were present showed a lot of support towards the immigrants, but the opposite towards the Mayor’s team. Most carried banners against the local government claiming that there is no real plan of action.
“That it fulfills its promises, this is a city that says that there should be housing for everyone regardless of their immigration status and it is not working for those who are here in NY, even for those who are newcomers,” said Jorge Muñiz, volunteer.
When inquiring about the actions to follow, the commissioner reiterated his support for the families, but that they are still waiting for aid at the federal level.
“Of course, we need the support of the federal government, something that we have been saying whenever possible because families are going to need a lot of support in their journey to be considered, to have asylum and the immigration status that they seek,” Castro said. .
At a hearing Tuesday at City Council, city officials said more than 4,000 immigrants seeking asylum have come to the city from Texas and Arizona, and many are being put into hotels because most shelters are closed. at maximum capacity.
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